Bud Henderson, of Cottonwood, Ariz., hold out a piece of corrugated pottery he discovered while excavating at the Champagne Springs site on Monday.

On a quiet hill south of Dove Creek archaeologists are digging into the history of Southwest Colorado and the ancient civilizations that left behind their artifacts and mysteries.

Located at upper Squaw Point near Squaw Canyon, the Champagne Springs (Greenlee) dig is a relative newcomer on the scene in terms of archaeological investigation in Montezuma and Dolores counties; however, the information being unearthed at the site is shifting perspectives on the Ancestral Puebloans, their lifestyle, history and communities.

Dating back to 900-1100 A.D., the dig has been classified as an early Pueblo II era site, a rare find in the San Juan Region, according to head archaeologist David Dove. That classification lends the site an additional aura of mystery as Pueblo II sites are rare in the archaeological record.

“Everything we are finding is so new because there is so little data on that time period,” Dove said. “I believe this will come to be an important site as there are not many sites in this time period in the entire Northern San Juan region.”

The Pueblo II era precedes the time frame which produced the famed cliff dwellings at Mesa Verde National Park, yet the archaeological record has little to say about Ancestral Puebloan communities in Montezuma and Dolores counties during that time period.

Surprisingly, the Champagne Springs site is not mentioned in any records of archaeological exploration of the Four Corners, though there is anecdotal evidence that some historical researchers were aware of the site, Dove said. As a result, the site has laid undisturbed for centuries, without the hindrance of treasure hunters and tourists.

First researched in the early 2000s by Don Dove, David’s father, Champagne Springs was quickly recognized as a significant research opportunity. Don Dove was the primary archaeologist from 2002 through 2008, after which David Dove took over responsibilities at the site, which he now owns. Don Dove passed away two years ago, and David views the field work at Champagne Springs as an opportunity to continue his father’s legacy.

“This is a large Pueblo II community, one of the largest that has been discovered,” Dove said, standing at the site last week. “We are learning so much and this is really a very fascinating site.”

COMPREHENSIVE PICTURE

Complete station mapping and remote sensing scans, along with ground penetrating radar allowed the team to lay out a fairly comprehensive picture of the site in 2003 and 2004. What was revealed through those studies was an expansive site larger than anyone anticipated.

“This is a big site, especially for the time period,” Dove said. “There are 250 rooms in the living structures alone, plus over 50 kivas. So that is over 300 rooms at this one site.”

Limited excavation began in 2004 on a feature of the site name the Great Kiva. Surrounded by clusters of other kivas, the structured seemed to be the ceremonial heart of the community.

“The structures are arranged in a different format than you see in other communities of this time period,” Dove said. “It is very unique.”

Since the first excavations, Dove and an army of volunteers, along with grants and support from the Colorado Historical Society, the Colorado Archaeological Society, the Arizona Archaeological society and Eastern Illinois and Western Illinois universities, have begun partial excavations on many of the other structures at the site. Five structures are currently being excavated and those working on the site are amazed at what is being uncovered.

“We are finding large amounts of deer and elk bones that have been cooked, and other animals,” Dove said. “This group of people ate very well and we are seeing all sorts of evidence of that. We know pottery, beautiful pottery, was made here, and jewelry and sewing needles, and arrowheads. It is just remarkable.”

Much of the work at the dig is being completed by volunteers from chapters of the Colorado and Arizona archaeological societies. Dove views his site as a field school where professional and amateur archaeologists alike can be part of discovering history.

Every artifact discovered at the dig is carefully recorded and processed, to allow for a full accounting of the excavation of the site. Dove said he hopes the site will yield answers to many of the questions archaeologists and historians harbor regarding the Pueblo II era.

“I would like to know more about their subsistence,” Dove said. “How did they live and farm and hunt? Was this place occupied continuously? How big was the population? I would especially love to be able to link the community here with other communities and understand where they came from and where they went when they left.”

For now, many of the answers to Dove’s questions lie beneath the loose soil of Southwest Colorado. But the answers are there, and Dove intends to find them.

Kay Miller, of Lakewood, Colo., displays some of the artifacts picked from her sifting screen at the Champagne Springs archaeological dig on Monday. Pieces of pottery and bone are among the most common finds at the site.

David Dove, right, principal archaeologist at the Champagne Springs site, discusses dig methodology with Jim Graceffa, president of the Verde Valley Archaeological Center, at the dig on Monday, May 28.

RJ Smith, right, and Ken Kaemmerle, both of the Verde Valley Archaeological Center, wrap string around a charred roof beam to stablize it for dendrochronology testing. The testing will determine the age of the beam, and the structure.

Bud Henderson, of Cottonwood, Ariz., carefully works his way through a patch of soil in a kiva structure at the Champagne Springs dig on Monday.

Heavy sifting: volunteers big part of dig

Archaeological digs are completed a centimeter at a time, each movement orchestrated and calculated to ensure nothing is missed or damaged and the record of the dig is complete. Due to the precise nature of the activity, most digs are completed by archaeologists with years of experience in the minutiae of excavation. As there is little room for error, there is little room for amateurs.The excavations at the Champagne Springs site south of Dove Creek have turned conventional wisdom on its head, welcoming professional and amateurs alike to sift through the fine soil of the site and piece together the history of a community.A private dig owned, and primarily financed, by local archaeologist David Dove, the Champagne Springs site has become a field school of sorts for members of the Colorado and Arizona archaeological societies. In 2011 and again this year, Dove has offered hands-on training for armchair archaeologists at four day dig sessions.“We have some professionals who come to the digs, but mostly we have volunteers and amateurs,” Dove said. “We have had people from Colorado and Arizona and Utah come and be part of this. It is a great opportunity for people to get a feel for what archaeology is about and how the process is completed.”During the most recent field school at the site, held May 25-28, nearly 40 volunteers set up camp on the edge of the site and spent their days in the dirt, hoping to uncover clues to a lost history.The majority of volunteers during the first field school of 2012 were from the Verde Valley Archaeology Center in Camp Verde, Ariz. The center is a nonprofit organization “dedicated to the care, management and use of archaeological artifacts found throughout the Verde Valley region,” according to the center’s website.Jim Graceffa, president of the Verde Valley Center, was present at the field school last weekend and said digs of this nature are a rare opportunity for those with an avocational interest in archaeology.“In Arizona, the chance for an experience like this are really limited because the state does not believe in excavating any more sites,” Graceffa said, while taking notes on artifacts discovered in a pit structure. “To be able to come here and excavate and be involved in a hands-on manner is a real treat and learning experience.”Melanie Falcone, also with the Verde Valley group, said the field school was her first experience with archaeology and she was surprised at how the work changed her perspective.“I came here with a good, healthy respect for the process and the people, but by the third day, that respect was tenfold,” Falcone said. “This is an amazing experience and you really learn about the process.”Rather than relegating the newbies to a specific section of the dig or simply assigning them to man the sifting screens, Dove believes in training, and trusting, his volunteers.“We teach them what they need to do and then use them to proceed in the dig,” Dove said. “They are all incredibly conscientious and here for the right reasons and they do really incredible work.”Excavating is completed 20 centimeters, or less, at a time, with hand tools digging carefully into the soil. Every scoop of dirt is sifted and every artifact that is discovered is catalogued with precision. The goal is to create an overall picture of the site, and the community, for the archaeological record. Nothing is removed from the context in which it was found.“We keep track of every movement, every artifact,” Dove said. “Everything is recorded and studied.”For the amateurs among the group, it is an opportunity for hands-on learning and a chance to discover a piece of history. Nearly every inch of the dig is full of artifacts and those working the site are able to handle and examine the relics of history.Dove has scheduled two more field schools for this year, July 6-9 and August 17-20. The schools are open to any member of the Colorado or Arizona archaeological societies.For more information on field schools and the Champagne Springs site, visit www.fourcornersresearch.com.

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Monday, March 30

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